Electric regulator



May 14, 1940.

T. c. LENNOX E AL ELECTRIC REGULATOR Original Filed Jan. 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheetl Now,"

Inventor-s Thomas C. Lennox,

Salvatore Minneci,

r- Attorney.

May 14, 1940.

T. C. LENNOX ET AL ELECTRIC REGULATOR Original Fi led Jan. 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors. Thomas C. Lehhox,

Salvatore 'mneci, y fi amzix wzvw Thei Attorney.

Patented M... 14, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mm ELECTRIC REGULATOR original application January 5, 1938, Serial No.

Divided and this application November 16, 1938, Serial No. 240,820

10 Claims. (Cl. 172-239) This inventionrelates to electric regulators and more particularly to improvements in the control circuits of automatic motor operated step-type feeder-voltage regulators.

This is a division of our application, Serial No. 183,494, filed January 5, 1938, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

Typical step regulators consist essentially of a transformer provided with tap-changing means for changing the transformer ratio under load. Primary voltage responsive means is included for controlling the direction of operation of reversible operating means for the tap-changing switch. In many such regulators the operating mechanism includes a spring drive whereby a relatively low-powered motor stresses the spring relatively slowly until a dead center point is passed, whereupon the spring rapidly snaps the switch through a tap-changin operation. It is an object of the invention to provide 7 means for positively returning the regulator operating motor and mechanism to aneutral or, mid-position in the event that a. tap change has begun but has not been completed, or after a tap'change has been completed, so as to insure a uniform time delay for each new tap-changing operation.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of means for causing the operating motor positively to complete a tap change if the spring fails to complete a tap change. Further objects of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accom- 36 panying' drawings and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims In the drawings, in which like reference char-' acters designate the same-elements throughout the several views, Fig. 1 is an expanded perspective view of a regulator operating mechanism for control circuit used with the mechanism of Fig. l, and Figs. 3 and '4 are modified control circuits providing reduced power run back of the motor.

' While the mechanism for operating the main tap changing switch of the regulator and theauxiliary control switches therefor form the subject matter of our above referredto present application, it is necessary to describe this mecha r nism here in order to provide a proper basis for the description of the control circuits and their operation.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown therein an opcrating motor I for driving a movable contact 2 use with this invention, Fig, 2 is a diagram of a.

of a tap changing switch 3 through reduction gearing l and a spring drive 5. Both the motor I and the switch 3 are reversible. The main elements of the driving mechanism are a winding pin 8 for turning a crank shaft 1 which operates 5 a Geneva-gear 8 fastened to the movable contact 2 by means of a secondary shaft 9. Because of the Geneva-gear the rotation of the windin pin in one direction will cause the rotation of the movable contact in the opposite direction 10 and to facilitate the description it will be assumed that a clockwise rotation of the movable contact 2 and a counterclockwise rotation of the. winding pin 6 will correspond to a voltage raising operation of the regulator, whereas, a coun- 15 terclockwise rotation of the movable contact 2 and a clockwise rotation of the winding pin 6 will correspond to a voltage lowering operation of the regulator. These directions of operation are labeled adjacent the movable contact 2 and m on a cam in which carries the winding pin 6.

As the motor I turns in either direction, the winding pin 6 will be turned with it and after the pin has made approxlmatelya quarter of a revolution from the position illustrated in the 25 drawings, it will engage a transverse member or segment u rigidly fastened to the crank shaft 1. On the opposite end of the crank shaft 1 is a crank l2 to which are fastened a pair of power springs l3 which normally hold the crank 30 in the illustrated position. Carried by the crank on opposite. sides of the shaft 1 are a air of driving lugs I I which are arranged to engage a Geneva-gear driver l5 loosely mounted with respect to the crank shaft and carrying a drivin 35 pin l6 which engages the slots in the Genevagear. When the crank shaft has been rotated through half a revolution from the illustrated position, the springs I3 will be-fully stressed and the mechanism will be on dead center. If now 40 the crank shaft is rotated past dead center, the

springs will rapidly return the crank and crank shaft to the illustrated position, thus, rotating these parts through the remaining half revolution to the position illustrated in the'drawings 5 and in so doing the Geneva-gear will be rapidly turned through a part revolution and the movable contact 2 will be rapidly snapped from the illustrated contact-making position to an adjacent contact-making position. 50

It will be noted that the connection between the winding pin 6 and the segment ll permits the crank shaft 1 to turn ahead of the cam in and motor I so that these latter parts do not act to retard the tap-changing operation.

The mechanism is illustrated in its so-called neutral position and it typically requires approximately 25 seconds for a tap change to be completed after the parts start from this position.

By reason of the number of fixed contacts on the switch 3, the regulator is a 4-step regulator. Thus, as shown, there are two fixed contacts to the right of the center fixed contact corresponding to two steps of voltage raise and there are two fixed contacts to the left of the center contact corresponding to two steps of voltage lower.

A continued operation of the regulator beyond the maximum raise position or the maximum lower position would cause a sudden change from maximum raise to maximum lower in one step or from maximum lower to maximum raise in one step. This, of course, is very undesirable and to prevent it limit switches l1 and i8 are provided. The movable contacts of these switches are carried by pivoted members l9 which are engaged by a cam 20 operated by the shaft 9. The cam is so'arranged that when the tap switch reaches its maximum raise position,

the limit switch I 8 is opened and when the tap switch reaches its maximum lower position, the limit switch I! is opened.

In order to prevent the primary control device from stopping the operating motor when the dead center position is reached, a pair of seal-in or seal-through switches 2| and 22 are provided. The movable members of these switches are carried by a frame 23 pivotally carried by a support 24 and normally held in the illustrated vertical mid-position by spring members 25. Carried by frame 23 is a cam roller 26 which is engaged by a cam 21 mounted loosely with respect to the crank shaft I and arranged to be driven by the winding pin 6. Thus, as the winding pin 8 rotates in either direction from the illustrated midposition, it will pickup the cam 21 and upon a predetermined further rotation the cam 21 will engage the roller 28 and will move the frame 23 about its pivot, thereby closing the switch 2| if the winding pin is turning in a lowering direction and closing the switch 22 if the winding pin is turning in the raising direction.

It is to be noted that because the cam 21 is loosely mounted it does not turn ahead rapidly with the crank shaft after the dead center position of the springs has been passed but, on the contrary. it stays against the winding pin 6 and thus holds the seal-in switch closed. As will be explained more clearly in connection with the control diagram of Fig. 2. this causes the motor to continue operation after the springs l3 have discharged their power and insures that if the springs have not completed the tap change. the motor will complete it.

The reason that it is undesirable to permit the primary control device to stop the motor near the dead center position is that a reversal of the motor may unlatc the mechanism and leave the tap changing switch in an "off" position.

In order to prevent stalling of the motor and mechanism if the primary control device should attempt to reverse the motor after a seal-in switch has closed, interlocks are provided between the seal-in switches and the opposite limit switches by means of pins 28 carried by frame 23 and engaging members I 9. Thus, when seal-in 2! starts to close, the pins 28 move to the right or in a clockwise direction about the pivot 24 thereby causing limit switch l8 to open, while if seal-in switch 22 starts to close, the pins 28 move in the opposite direction thereby causing limit switch I! to open. These interlocks are preferably so arranged that the limit switches open before the seal-in switches close so as to prevent the momentary occurrence of the overlapping condition in which both the seal-in switches and the limit switches are closed. If such an overlapping were permitted to occur and the primary relay should call for a reversal of the operating motor during this overlap, the motor would simultaneously be energized for operation in both directions and would stall.

In order to insure a positive return of the mechanism to its neutral position in case a tap change has begun but is not completed, or after a tap change has been completed, or if the primary relay should open between the time that a limit switch opens and the opposite seal-in switch closes, there are provided a pair of neutral return switches 29 and 30. The movable members of these switches are carried by a frame 3| which is similar to frame 23 and which is mounted in the same manner. A cam roller 32 carried by this frame is engaged by the cam ill, the arrangement being such that as soon as the cam 10 starts to turn in either direction, the frame 3| will be turned about its pivot and will close the switch 28 if rotation is in they lowering direction and will close switch 30 if rotation is in the raising direction and whichever switch has been closed will remain closed until the neutral position is again reached. By means of control circuits which will be described hereinafter in connection with Fig. 2, switch 29 controls a circuit for the motor I which tends to return the motor in a backward or raising direction to the neutral position, while switch 3|! controls a circuit which tends to operate the motor in a backward or lowering direction. By reason of these switches the system has a uniform time delay in its operation because normally it will always start from the same point.

So as to insulate the operating mechanism from the high voltage power circuit, a diskof insulating material 33 is interposed between the movable contact 2 and the shaft 9. By means connection through the disk itself. This construction results in the insulator having a substantial vertical creepage distance which is desirable in apparatus of this kind, as horizontal creepage distance is unreliable because dust, dirt, and other foreign material settling on a horizontal surface will impair its insulating ability, but no such material will remain on the vertical creepage surfaces of the insulator 33. The insulator is preferably made of porcelain. In order to secure long life and reduce the cutting action of the porcelain to a minimum, the inner surfaces of the openings into which the projections 6| and 82 fit, are glazed and fiber bushings are interposed between the projections and the walls of the openings.

While the parts of Fig. 1 have been separated in a lengthwise direction so asto facilitate their illustration, it should be understood that in practice these parts can be andare very compactly arranged so that actually they do not take up any more lengthwise space than does the motor itself. I

In Fig. 2, the fixed contacts of the switch 3 are connected to taps in a series winding and a regulating transformer 35. As shown, the electrical mid-point of this winding is connected both to the center iixed contact of the switch 3 and to one side of a single phase alternating current power line or feeder circuit 36. The movable contact 2 is connected to the same side of the line 36 by means of a conductor 31 so that with the movable contact 2 on the center fixed contact, as shown, none of the series winding is connected in the power circuit and the regulator is in its neutral position corresponding to the position of the movable contact 2 in Fig. 1. If now movable contact 2 is moved in either direction, varying amounts of the series winding are connected in the power circuit for either boosting the circuit voltage or bucking the circuit voltage. Transformer 35 is also provided with a shunt or primary winding 38 and an auxiliary winding 38 for supplying low voltage current to motor l and for producing a voltage which is proportional to the voltage of the feeder circuit 36. Connected to respond to this voltage is a primary relay in the form of a contactmaking voltmeter 40 having an operating winding 4| connected in series with a resistor 42. Contact-making voltmeter 40 is provided with a movable contact 43 for cooperation respectively with a raise contact 44 and a lower contact 45. A control switch 46 is provided for securing selective automatic and manual operation. The manual operation is controlled by means of a manually operated raise and lower switch 41.

When control switch 46 is moved to the right it connects the movable contact 43 of the contact making voltmeter to one side of the auxiliary winding 39 through the operating winding of an auxiliary relay 48 which cooperates with the neutral return contacts 28 and 30, while when it is moved to the left it makes a similar connection between the manually-operated raise and lower switch and the same side of the auxiliary winding 33. The raise and. lower contacts of the manually-operated switch 2'! connect respectively to the raise and lower contacts of the contact-making voltmeter. The raise and lower contacts are connected respectively to the limit switches I8 and I! through conventional holding coils 43 and 49' on the contact-making voltmeter.

These holding coils are provided for preventing connected respectively to the motor terminals for causing'operation in the raising and lowering directions and they are'supp'lied by .a common conductor 52 through the contacts of the auxiliary relay 48. A common return conductor 63 connects the common terminal of the motor to th upper side of the auxiliary. winding 33. i

The operation is as follows: With the parts in l the positions shown, the regulator is in itsneutral position and the voltage of the circuit 38 is normal causing the contact-making voltmeter 48 to be in its mid-position. It automatic operation of the regulator is desired, the control switch 46 is moved to the right into its automatic operation position. If now the voltage of circuit 36 should decrease, the contact-making voltmeter would close its raise contacts, thereby completing a circuit for the motor through the holding coil 49 and the raise limit switch l8. This will start the motor in a raising direction. The motor current in flowing through the operating winding of the auxiliary relay 48 will cause this relay to openits contacts. Very soon after the motor starts the neutral return switch 36 will close, but as the contacts of the auxiliary relay 48 are opened no circuit is completed by the closure of the neutral return switch. Continued operation of the motor will cause the power springs l3 (Fig. 1) to be stretcheduntil, shortly before the dead center position is reached, ,the lower limit switch I! will open and almost immediately thereafter the seal-in switch 22 will close. Opening of the lower limit switch I! and closing of the seal-in switch 22 removes control of the operating motor from the contact-making voltmeter. The motor, therefore, will continue to operate in a raise direction regardless of what the contact-making voltmeter does and as.

soon as dead center is passed, the springs l3 will snap the movable contact 2 in a clockwise direction to the next adjacent fixed contact. thereby inserting in the circuit 36 a portionof the series winding 36 and raising the circuit voltage one step.

If this brings the voltage within the normal voltage range, the contact-making voltmeter will go to its non-contact-making position and will not call for any further regulation. However, as previously explained in connection with Fig. 1, the seal-in switch 22 remains closed until the motor I has been run long .enough to return all of the parts of the driving mechanism to their neutral positions as shown in Fig. l, whereupon the seal-in switch 22 opens and the motor is deenergized.

If the fallin voltage has been only momentary and the contact-making voltmeter opens its raise contacts before the seal-in switch 22 closes, the auxiliary relay 48 will be deenergized, thus closing its contacts and completing a circuit through the neutral return switch 30. This circuit reverses the motor and causes it to turn in the lowering direction until the operating mechanism is returned to its neutral position. The springs l3, of course, tend automatically to return the mechanismtoward the neutral position at such times but because of friction, the retarding action of thickened oil during cold weather and the large mechanical advantage of the reduction gearing 4, the springs cannot be relied upon to provide the return. movement. In any event, they would never return the ,part of the mecha nism including the motorand driving pin exactly to its neutral position and thus could not provide inherently the equal time delay feature propositive neutral return by reverse energization of i the motor will be reversed through the lower contacts 45, the holding coil 49' and the lower limit switch l1 and if the high voltage condition persists the motor will continueron through the neutral position to cause a lowering operation of the regulator in a manner corresponding to the above-described raising operation. During this lowering operation, the lower seal-in switch 2| and the neutral return switch 29 and the raise limit switch l8 will operate to provide the same protection of the mechanism as has just been described for 2. raising operation. That is' to say, the neutral return switch 29 will close as soon as the neutral position has been passed. in the lowering direction and just before dead center is reached the raise limit switch 18 will open and immediately thereafter the lower seal-in switch 2| will close.

For manual operation, the control switch is moved to the left and then raising and lowering operations can-be selectively secured by moving the manual switch 47 to the left or to the right respectively, the resulting operation being just the same as though control were by means of the contact-making voltmeter.

In Fig. 3, the circuit has been simplified by substituting a resistor 54 for the auxiliary relay 48, Resistor 54 is connected between the conductors 5| and 52 and permits the neutral return switches 29 and 30 to run the motor back to neutral at reduced power, whereas the circuit of Fig. 3 provides run back at full power. During regulator operation energization of the motor for producing a regulator operation is secured through the contact-making voltmeter contacts. the limit switches and the seal-in-switches, while at the same time reverse energization at reduced power is applied to the motor through the re winding 56 for energizing low voltage shading coils 51 and 58 for causing operation of the motor in lowering and raising directions respectively. The main winding 'of the motor is connected across the output winding of an autotransformer 59 for stepping up the voltage of the auxiliary winding 39 so as to insure adequate operating voltage for the motor at all times.

A run back controlling resistor is connected to the direction controlling circuits of the motor between the limit switches and the holding coils and a connection from the mid-point of the resistor 60 is made to the high voltage side of the autotransformer 59. Y

The operation of Fig. 4 is generally the same as the operation of the previous figures except for the run {back feature for protecting against loss of control in case the primary relay reverses after the reverse direction limiting limit switch has opened and before the proper seal-in switch has closed. For example, suppose that after the raise contacts 44 of the contact-making voltmeter have closed for a time long enough to cause the motor to open the lower limit switch I! and that before the seal-in switch 2| has closed the contact-making voltmeter reverses and closes its lower contacts 45. Under these circumstances the raise winding 58 of the motor will be reversely energized through the limit switch l8 and the lefthand half of the reversing resistor 60. The reason that the current in the raise winding 58 will be reversed is because the voltage across the high voltage winding of the autotransformer 58 is higher than the opposing voltage across the low voltage winding 56. This, therefore, reverses the motor and causes it to turn in a lowering direction untilthe lower limit switch ll closes again, whereupon, the motor will be energized in the normal manner through the lower contacts of the contact-making voltmeter and the lower limit switch l1. Also, as soon as the lower switch I! closes, both motor windings 51 and 58 will be energized with the same amount of reversed current through the two halves respectively of the resistor 60 so that under these conditions the reversing resistor 60 does not tend to cause operation of the motor. Similarly, when limit switch I 8 opens during a lowering operation, if, before the seal-in switch 22 can close, the contact-making voltmeter opens or reverses its contacts, the energization of the motor through the resistor 60 will cause it to run back to the point where positive reverse control will be secured by the closing of the limit switch l8.

While there have been shown and described particular embodiments of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

1. In a regulator, an operating motor, a primary device for controlling the direction of operation of said motor in accordance with the value of a quantity to be regulated, seal-in means for causing said motor to operate a. predetermined amount after said primary relay causes said motor to start, and means operated substantially coincidentally with the operation of said seal-in means for preventing said primary device from stalling said motor by attempting to cause its reversal after said seal-in means 'has been operated.

2. In an automatic regulator, a reversible operating motor, a primary device for controlling the direction of operation of said motor in accordance with the value of a quantity to be regulated, limit switches for preventing said motor from causing regulator operation beyond prede termined limiting positions, seal-in switches for normally causing said motor to operate a predetermined amount after said primary device starts said motor, and an interlock ioropening the Opposite direction limiting limit switch whenever a seal-in switch closes in order to prevent said primary device from stalling said motor by attempting to reverse it after a seal-in switch closes.

"3. In a regulator, reversible regulator driving mechanism, a primary device for controlling the direction of operation of said driving mechanism, means operative after said driving mechanism starts for normally insuring a predetermined amount of regulator operation in the direction-in which said driving mechanism started, a second means operative substantially but not exactly simultaneously with the operation of the first means for preventing said primary device from reversing said driving mechanism during the operation of the first means, and apparatus operative for reversing said driving mechanism it said primary device acts to change its control of said driving mechanism during the interval between the operation of the two said means.

4:. A regulator having, in combination, a re-- versible operating motor, a primary deviceior controlling the direction of operation of said motor in accordance with the value of a quantity to be regulated, delayed operating seal-in means operated by said motor for' causing a predetermined amount of motor operation in the direction in which the primary relay starts said motor, additional means operated by said motor prior to the operation of said seal-in means for prevent-. ing said primary relay from energizing said motor for reverse operation when said seal-in means is operated, and separate means for reversing said motor if said primary relay stops operation means.

5. A regulator having, in combination, areversible operating motor, a primary device for controlling the direction of operation of 'said motor in accordance with the value of aquantity to be regulated, delayed operating seal-in means operated by said motor for causing a predetermined amount of motor operation in the direction in which the primary relay starts said motor, additional means operated by said motor prior to the operation of said seal-in means for preventing said primary relay fromenergizing said motor for reverse operation when said seal-in means is operated, and separate means for reversing said motor if said primary relay stops operation of said motor before operation of said seal-in means and after operation of said additional means.

-6. In a step type voltage regulator, in combination, a reversible operating motor, a primary device for controlling the direction of operation of said motor in accordance with the value of a quantity to be regulated, delayed operating seal-in means operated by said motor for nor mally causing a predetermined amount of motor operation in the direction in which the primary relay starts said motor, additional means operated by said motor prior 'to the operation of said seal-in means for preventing said primary, relay from energizing said motor for reverse operation when said seal-in means is operated, neutral return switches operated by said motor, an auxiliary relay, regulator driving mechanism operated by said motor and having a neutral position, and control circuits controlled by said neutral return switches and said auxiliary relay for reversing said motor and returning said driving mechanism to its neutral position if'said primary relay stops operation of -said motor be- .fore operation of said seal-in means.

in means operated by said motor ior'causing a predetermined amount of motor operation in the direction in which the primary relay starts said motor, additional means operated by said motor prior to the operation of said seal-in means for preventing said primary relay from energizing said motor for reverse operation when said sealin means is operated, neutral return switches operated by said motor, a resistor, regulator driving mechanism operated bysaid motor and having a neutr 1 position, and control circuits completed thro gh said resistor and said neutral re,- turn switches for-reversing said motor and returning said mechanism to its neutral position if said primary relay stops operation or said motor before operation of said seal-in means.

8. A regulator having, in combination, a reversible, operating motor, a primary device for controlling the direction of operation of said motor in accordance with the value of a quantity to be regulated, delayed operating seal-in means operated by said motor for causing a predetermined amount of motor operation in the direction .in which the primary relay starts said motor, additional means operated by said motor prior to the operation of said seal-in means for preventing said primary relay from energizing said motor for reverse operation when said seal-in means is operated, and means including a resistor for reversing said motor ii said primary relay stops operation of said motor after operation of said additional means and before operation of said seal-in means.

9. In a regulator, a reversible motor, a primary device for controlling the direction of operation of said motor in accordance with the value of a quantity to be regulated, a mechanical driving connection-to said motor, said connection being so arranged as toprovide a time delay interval between the starting of said motor and a regulating action, said motor having a neutral position from which the time interval between starting and completion of a regulating operation is the same for both directions of motor operation, and means including neutral return switches for electrically running said motor back to said neutral position if said primary device stops energization of said motor during said time delay interval.

10. In a regulator of the type which operates in steps, an operating motor, a spring drive connected to said motor, said drive including a connection whereby when said motor stresses the spring to a certain point the spring normally causes a snap action regulating step which occurs faster than the motor can normally complete such a step, and seal-in means for causing the motor to continue operation long enough positively to complete a regulating step in case such step is not first fully completed by the spring.

THOMAS C. LENNOX. 

